Saturday, May 19, 2007

What Would We Do without Ammie?

Oftentimes my mom comes up to see us... I mean, a lot. She takes us to lunch at all the cool Providence restaurants and makes my life a whole lot easier. We go to gardening centers and she teaches us about plants and how to grow things. She buys us groceries. She takes my kids to the bathroom. She spoils the kids at toy stores and ice cream shops. She combs over catalogues with me and helps me conquer the next home decorating conundrum. We are partners in crime, to say the least. When she calls me up and says, "would you like me to come down and make dinner with you?" I'm happier than you might ever imagine. (Remember, Myles is "Q2" - a.k.a. absent)

But yesterday she called up to say that she and my dad wanted to come to take us out to their Anniversary dinner. Although I thought maybe they wanted to be alone, they insisted that after 33 years of marriage they would rather have the company of their grandkids at a pleasant restaurant than be by themselves.

We gorged ourselves at this bistro-style restaurant and left feeling rotund and stinking of garlic. I had a glass of red wine (although completely embarassed about drinking it in public) and it tasted like heaven.

Even though I have a lot of guilt about how generous my mom is to me, and I feel spoiled rotten by her, I completely get where she is coming from. The other day Ruby and Eloise's school prepared "Mother's Day Tea" for the moms. We arrived to their classroom and they cheered "Happy Mother's Day" and waved little cut-out pink tea cups decorated with glitter glue. Inside were little tea bags. We all sat at kid sized tables and had tea sandwiches - prepared ENTIRELY by the kids, and we were served (cold) tea in ceramic tea pots. I mean, cups, saucers... the whole thing... but 3 year olds pouring us tea! It was adorable. As they poured they said, "and we stop before we get to the top!" HA! I can only imagine how many overflows they must have had while practicing. Well, it made me want to burst with happiness at how proud they were of their achievements. They constantly amaze me and they are my best companions.

So, every day that goes by I get closer to understanding why my mom just gives every bit of herself to us. She's not capable of doing her job any other way.